Austria's Rangnick says stopping Lamine Yamal key to upsetting Spain

 (Reuters) - Austria coach Ralf Rangnick said football fans around the world love watching Lamine Yamal play, but stopping the Spain winger from ​showcasing his talent will be one of his side's top priorities in ‌the World Cup round of 32 on Thursday.

Spain have eased the 18-year-old back into action after he tore a hamstring in April, limiting him to 141 minutes over the three group ​games, during which he scored once.

"Lamine Yamal is an excellent player, and ​he will be for the next 12, 13 or 14 years, ⁠maybe even longer," Rangnick told reporters on Wednesday.

"If he stays healthy and keeps ​a straight head on his shoulders, he can play a lot of matches.

"He is ​one of the players we will watch very closely tomorrow, not to give him a lot of room or too many opportunities to start his dribbling actions.

"He is a player that all ​football fans, no matter where they are from, love to watch. But it ​is our task tomorrow to let him have the ball as little as possible."

Austria scored six ‌goals ⁠in three group-stage matches, one more than Spain, but Rangnick acknowledged his side would need to raise their level against a team unbeaten in 34 matches stretching back to March 2023.

"We all know that we need to do even better tomorrow. Against ​Spain this is ​obvious," Rangnick said. "We ⁠have to make one further step."

Austria captain David Alaba, who spent five seasons with Real Madrid, said they were fully aware ​of the quality Spain have at their disposal.

"They play very ​attractive football. ⁠They have enormous quality and individual players that can make a difference," Alaba said. "But we don't want to hide. We really want to play forward and try to be ⁠successful."

Austria ​will be without defender Phillipp Mwene due to ​injury, but Rangnick said his team had enough options to overcome absences and that he remained convinced they ​could challenge one of the tournament favourites.